Help fixing a hole in plastic canoe

[risk]

I loaned my canoe out and it came back with a hole..

It has pedestal seats, and where the rear seat pedestal sits on the bottom, it was getting thin... It's a bad spot because it's the first place to hit a rock every time you get in a shallow place. I usually get out and walk the boat across these shallow spots... but the borrower apparently did not share my sense of canoe preservation.

I have tried epoxy, panel bonder that body shops use to glue cars together, flex seal, and some plastic and a small torch.

The plastic patch I melted over the hole held up the best, but eventually became brittle and cracked.

This is the last patch..

And this is the hole (plus remnants of my previous patch jobs)..

Any ideas on a more permanent fix?

[Deuce]

Doesn't look too bad really. It APPEARS it's only all the way through in one small spot and hasn't been that way long. If so, here's what I'd probably try first. If the epoxy you used before wasn't G Flex I'd start with that since it's easy to use, bonds well and is generally handy to have around. If I were doing it I'd sand away what's there first, leave the spot exposed for a while (the longer the better to be sure there's no moisture hanging around) apply some G Flex, lightly sand smooth then cover with Krylon spray paint. If you want to do a more elaborate repair there are Royalex patch kits available for around a C note.

[risk]

Thanks for the quick response!

No, the epoxy was not G flex.. It became brittle and cracked away. I assume the G flex is going to be more flexible and hold up better?

Can it be purchased locally or just online?

[Deuce]

Correct. Haven't seen it in Little Rock but I know OOO in Hot Springs carries it. It that's not convenient it's widely available on line. BTW, can you elaborate on the seating arrangement you have? Sounds like it could possibly continue to cause problems.

[Prairie Tater]

You didn't say if the canoe is ABS (Royalex) or polyethylene (Old Town Discovery). There is a big difference in the two materials. From the pictures you posted, it looks to be poly. As far as I know there is no adhesive, epoxy, caulk, etc. that will bond to poly. You will need to find someone who has a plastic welder. If you can't find one, you could try a soldering iron. I've repaired a couple of automobile coolant reservoirs with one. I took an old poly Nalgene bottle and cut it up into strips to use as my "welding rods". The trick is to melt the material you are welding to at the same time you are melting the "rod". In your case, you might want to cut a patch from a poly bottle or whatever and weld it over the hole. This is definitely a trial & error type thing. Hopefully, you won't have too many errors.

This might help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kibSo9JqWyo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Prairie Tater]

Ok, I hadn't read Deuce's suggestion before I finished mine. I have never used G/Flex. I would try that before welding. It sounds like it is specifically made for kayaks and other poly products. I looked at a Youtube vid which showed the guy soaking fiberglass cloth with G/Flex and making a patch. This might work for you. Good luck.

Terry

[Deuce]

I thought it looked like Royalex, but I'd definitely trust Terry's opinion over mine. That said, G Flex will bond with PE (not as well as with Royalex but still worth a shot) with proper pre-treatment. Also, Old Town's Royalex patch kit is adaptable for PE (or their PE patch kit is adaptable for Royalex).

[cpresoz]

Great discussion. I'm going to suggest G/Flex epoxy to a friend with a similar issue. http://www.westsystem.com/ss/g-flex-epoxy/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Still. . . I think you should patch the hole with some skin removed from the guy who borrowed your boat.

[Prairie Tater]

Still. . . I think you should patch the hole with some skin removed from the guy who borrowed your boat.

[Deuce]

Ha! Curtis, Terry and I agree!

[risk]

I think you should patch the hole with some skin removed from the guy who borrowed your boat.

Haha!! I'm willing to try anything at this point!

It's an older Rogue River 14'. The company is long gone..

Here is a pic of the boat.. you can see the problem with the seat pedestal creating an "outie" on the bottom..

[Prairie Tater]

Polyethylene.

[risk]

I found the G Flex on ebay, as well as a plastic welding kit (soldering iron type).. They are both about the same price.

I was thinking about a piece of aluminum or stainless steel sheet metal under the pedestal to help distribute the load?

[Deuce]

Those seat risers will always cause problems no matter what you do. It's just a poor design, and the longer you paddle that boat in shallow, rocky/gravelly streams the greater the likelihood will become of experiencing catastrophic failure at the worst possible moment. IMO your best bet is to do the repair as cheaply as possible and relegate the boat to flat water duty, then save the money you'd spend on future repairs for a boat you can take on the aforementioned types of streams.

[Prairie Tater]

I agree with Luke. You could eventually pick up a used Discovery or Royalex canoe at a reasonable price if you kept an eye peeled. And you might want to stay away from the cheapo Walmart/Sam's club brands.